Chocolate cookies – Cédric Grolet.

Method :

Chocolate caramel :

• 1)

  This caramel is so delicious, you can use it to serve your ice cream or to decorate your babka.

  In a small saucepan, heat the liquid cream, the milk (1) and the glucose (2). In a second saucepan, make a caramel with the glucose (1) and sugar, once the thermometer reaches 190°C, deglaze the caramel with the hot cream- milk mixture (be very careful of splashes). Continue cooking until it reaches 105°C, remove from the heat and pour in into a long container and let cool to 70°C. Add the chocolate cut into pieces, the butter and the fleur de sel. Mix using a hand stick blender until the chocolate is melted and completely incorporated. Finish with the milk (2) continue mixing until you obtain a shiny caramel.

  Put it directly in a piping bag (without piping). And leave at room temperature.

   

Make the dough :

• 1)

  Put the butter and both sugar into the bowl of a free – standing mixer with the paddle attachment, and beat on a medium speed for 2 minutes. Then add the egg, at this stage we avoid over mixing, it is important not to incorporate air otherwise the cookie will be foamy and will spread during cooking. Add the dry ingredients  (flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda). And finally the chocolate chips and the ground cocoa nibs. Let the dough rest in the fridge for 1 hour to let the dough firm little bit.

   

  

   

  

  Form balls of 30 – 35g, you can roll the balls in the ground cocoa nibs before baking (I didn’t do this, I added the nibs directly to the dough). Refrigerate again for 1 hour. Refrigerate the balls is a step that should not be overlooked, this is what will allow the cookie not to spread during baking.

   

Cocoa nibs praline :

• 1)

  In a baking sheet covered with baking paper, place your rotated hazelnuts and cocoa nibs, leave aside the time to make the sugar caramel.

  In a saucepan over medium heat, put your sugar and make a caramel. Once you get an amber-colored caramel, remove from the heat , don’t burn your caramel otherwise you’ll have a praline with a bitter taste, and pour it over the roasted hazelnuts and cocoa nibs. Let it cool completely, before you break it into a small pieces.

  

  Put them in a bowl of a food processor or your blender, and start blending, making frequent stops so as not to heat up the engine of your blender. First the mixture will form a powder, but after few minutes will transform into a smooth and runny paste, use a spatula to scrape down the bowl of the food processor or blender from time to time. If after 10 minutes of blending the mixture doesn’t from a paste add a teaspoon or two of grape seeds oil and continue blending until you have a runny praline paste. (once again don’t forget to make stops so as not to heat the praline too much).The chef suggests finishing the praline in a bowl of a free – standing mixer with the paddle attachment, and at this point you add the grapeseed oil and the fleur de sel. But since I had a small quantity, I blended everything and didn’t add the grapeseed oil.

  

   

  Put the praline in a piping bag (with or without a nozzle, if you opt for the piping tip, choose a 5mm  or less). Leave aside at room temperature.

   

   

Baking time :

• 1)

  Preheat your oven to 165°C. Cooking will be done in two stages.

  Place the cookie balls on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, the chef recommends using a Teflon sheet and above all avoid baking the cookie on a silpat. (personally I avoid Teflon ).

   

  

   

  Cook for the first time for 5 minutes. Take your cookies out of the oven then inject them with the cocoa nibs praline, poaching 3 dots.

   

  

   

  Put back in the oven for 2 – 3 minutes to continue cooking, having turned the pastry sheet .

  Once out of the oven, circle your cookies using a 6cm diameter cookie cutter, as you can see in this video. Then add 3 dots of caramel while the cookies are still hot.

   

  

   

   

• 2)

  Leave the cookies to cool for a few minutes before filling them with praline, caramel and a few dark or milk chocolate chips according to your taste, also sprinkle with cocoa nibs and flakes of salt (or fleur de sel).

  Enjoy !!